Herald and Journal, February 8, 1999

HLWW bus drivers join union

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ISD 2687 bus drivers decided
to seek out professional help when dealing with the district's administration
in February 1997.

They were getting nowhere with school board representatives
in negotiations. It was a take-it-or-leave-it game that the district was
playing with these hard working and dedicated employees.

SEIU Local 284, out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was contacted
to come out and discuss with the bus drivers what it means to be with a
union and what SEIU Local 284 had to offer.

The drivers signed membership cards as required by the
Bureau of Mediation Services. SEIU Local 284 filed a petition with the BMS
Feb. 2, 1997. The Maintenance of Status Quo Order from the BMS was mailed
out to the employer and SEIU Local 284 Feb. 2, 1997. Ballots were mailed
out and an election was held. The ballot count was March 25, 1997. The bus
drivers of ISD 2687 voted overwhelmingly to have SEIU Local 284 as their
representative.

Now their work was cut out. They had to draft up a first
contract proposal and submit it to the district to start the process of
negotiations for a contract.

Through many night meetings with school board representatives,
the SEIU Local 284 team and the district hammered out their first contract.
The membership of this unit voted Nov. 23, 1998 to accept a tentative contract
agreement.

The bus drivers now have a union that will represent them
as employees of the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted ISD 2687 system.